Stronger
by aurora0914
Summary: As she sunk into the depths of insanity, Hinata can only ponder on how she got there. Maybe a scroll, a betrayal, a mission to get stronger, and a love triangle between the Uchiha brothers helped. SasuHinaIta
1. Prologue: Stronger

**OK! SO, this is one of my new stories (even though I haven't gotten anywhere with the old ones) but still, I have to have write this one, because- IM INSPIRED! So, read the prologue, and see what you think.**

_Prologue_

_She walked through the desert, a triumphant, almost manic, grin on her face. Her cloak billowed in the wind, a black dot in the distance. A black cloak with red clouds. On her finger rested the newly acquired ring, the brown one that said Sky. That's what she was: she was the sky, the key to the world above. _

_She spotted a dark figure in the horizon. She didn't increase speed, trying to aggravate the unidentified figure, the figure that she was inclined to believe was her Sensei. The bells on her hat rung in the vast, solemn land, leaving her feeling small, and vulnerable. Alas, though, vulnerable was the last thing on her mind. Then she broke into a happy, slightly crazed smile, suddenly appearing in front of the figure, hugging it, something that would have been suicide to all but her. "Sensei!" she said, childishly tugging her sleeve. "Look!" her behaviour was that of a child, though there was something slightly off._

"_I got the ring!" she told him, slightly louder than necessary. He nodded._

"_Did you kill him?" he inquired, his dark, obsidian eyes obscuring her view. She yawned, and in place of the yawn came a sadistic, slightly cruel smile._

"_Nah. I'm going to let his student kill him. It'd be more fun that way!" she told him brightly, and then her behaviour changed, in all but a moment. "Though it would've fun to kill him..." a contemplating look arose. Standing on her toes, she brushed his dark hair out of the way. "Wouldn't you agree?" she asked, before lightly biting on his ear. As stony as he might be, he was still a man. And she was still a very, very attractive woman. _

_A low growl arose in his throat, before kissing her. A very ferocious, very sexual kiss. She kissed back, her hand tracing his tear troughs, before tugging his hair. Then he stepped away, "Not here." before he took her, and teleported away. They arrived at a hotel, somewhere in Suna, before climbing in the bed._

_Her white eyes activated, scanning the perimeter subconsciously, continuing kissing her Sensei. "Are we clear?" he said, tone lower and huskier that usual. Cloaks with red clouds came off in a flurry, as the kissing escalated in something more. "We have a mission" he said, whispering in her ear._

"_What is it? She asked, curiosity not managing to clear the lust on her face._

"_We have the nine tails to do. The end of the three years training is approaching, and we'll be able to conquer him on his search for Sasuke. That is when he will be most vulnerable..." he trailed off, knowing that she had gotten the point. "It isn't a problem, is it?" he asked, caressing her face all the while._

"_Of course not. I have cut off all ties with them. You know where my interest lies, Itachi."she said, using his name seriously for the first time in a while. "And besides... shouldn't you be more worried? We're probably going to encounter Sasuke..."_

"_Of course not. Sasuke is more of a problem to you, and not me, Hinata" he said before kissing her again, lustfully, letting things escalate to the finish._

**Whooo! And that all will be explained in the next chapters! Oh, the more you review, the faster I'll update, yeah! So~ review, please!**

**Oh, and how do you like it? The prologue is very confusing, but when I manage to get where I want to, you will see.**

**Sincerely, **

**Aurora-chan!**


	2. Uncovering the Truth 1

**his is about a new Hinata! Actually, this is about what I think should happen to Hinata- well, you'll see. They are around 12- a couple of months before they are Genin. See how a simple meeting can change history. This first chapter will be in Hinata's pov- well, not really, but you'll see what I mean.**

Chapter 1- Uncovering the Truth

She was thrown back, her body crashing into the tree behind her. A scowling Uchiha Sasuake was in front of her, sending her disapproving looks every once in a while. How did she get into this predicament, again? Oh, she remembered. She was trying to escape the haunting words of her father, and after running into the woods, she stumbled on no other than Uchiha Sasuke. She knew of the Uchiha, of course, the sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre, the heart throb of the class- but she had never spoken to him, and in truth, he scared her. His presence was filled with hate and anger- those two emotions that Hinata had seen enough of. No matter how handsome he was, he intimidated her.

Choosing to ignore her, Uchiha had continued his training. That was ok, though, she wasn't looking for a confrontation. After a while, though, it seemed that he had gotten fed up with her silence, and challenged her to a spar. When she had refused, he taunted her- mocking her of her weakness. Hinata wasn't a prideful creature by nature, but the Hyuuga blood did run through her veins, so she had somewhat meekly accepted the spar.

Now here she was, being beaten to the ground. Hinata had no time for self-pity, however, so she got up to her feet, activating the Byakugan. She'd been able to use it since a young age- no matter, her father still dubbed her as a weak, pitiful creature, and she had accepted it. He was her father, after all. Who was she to say otherwise? But this boy in front of her- her age- had no right to snub her, without her putting up a fight. "Jyuuken!" she whispered, going into the too stiff gentle fist stance.

She ran up to him, ignoring his surprised widened eyes- and managed to land a hit, right on the arm. He gave out a cry- a big blow to his ego, she was sure- and narrowed his eyes at her. He made the hand-signs for a ninjutsu, and a moment later, powerful flames came out of his mouth. She dodged the attack, but barely, and damage came to her arm. She was still too slow... and weak. In front of her, though, Uchiha had a small smirk on his lips, and after giving her a speculating look, said, "Tomorrow, same time. Don't be late." and started walking to the opposite direction.

But Hinata wasn't going to agree to this nonsense without an explanation. She ran up to him, and asked, "W-why?" and with a suave smirk, Uchiha replied,

"Because you gave me a work out. Help me get stronger, and I'll help you get stronger." then she left him to walk in front of her, going over what he said in her mind. Was she really going to do this? She would get stronger- no longer a disappointment to her clan. So, Hinata turned back, deciding she would come back tomorrow. She would get stronger. With the help of Uchiha, of course.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

Hinata fidgeted nervously, waiting for Uchiha to come. She was early- that was only proper, after all. Punctuality was important to not only her, but her clan as well. She had given this meeting a lot of thought- and decided, if it honestly helped make her stronger, she would continue these sessions, and it wouldn't matter if they hurt. It wouldn't matter, because she would finally feel somehow good about herself, and not so weak, and pathetic, any more.

She activated her Byakugan, instantly spotting Sasuke in the distance. He was only about 300 metres away from her, walking at a leisurely pace. She had a faint scowl on her face, but she hid behind a bush, deciding to go with a surprise attack. That's what Sasuke had done, after all. She was waiting. And waiting. And after a while, an image appeared before her- Sasuke. Then, with a grace she didn't know she had, she threw her kunai at him, jumping down from her discreet hiding space.

Sasuke dodged, but she still managed to scratch his cheek. Surprise was a very important tool to a ninja, it seemed. Then again, she had already known that.

A few hours later, both her and Sasuke lay panting on the forest floor. "Hn", he said, a nonchalant look on his face, "that was a good work out. We will continue doing this every day."

And train everyday, they did. They did so, until both of them were much better than they used to be, until they were comfortable with each other.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

"Hey", called out a panting Hinata, "Do you want to get something to eat?" Sasuke glared at her, scowling. "But, but, I'm hungry!" Hinata whined, a thing she rarely did, even with those she was most comfortable around.

"You can cook." he stated, bluntly, staring at her with a bored expression on his face. Hinata scrunched up her nose in frustration.

"We can't go to my house! They'd never..." her voice trailed off, as her expression lightened. "Fine, then! Your house it is!" and with a happy air around her, she pulled him up to his feet, and started dragging him away from the forest.

"Idiot. You don't even know where my home is." he took her hand, and started dragging her towards her apartment. When Hinata realized they were holding hands, a blush arose on her face. Instead of pulling away, though, she tightened her grip on his hand. She hadn't held anyone's hand since she was four, after the kidnapping attempt. Her father just didn't look at her anymore... no one would, she was alone. She missed this warmth.

Sasuke squeezed her had, a gesture for comfort. Her eyes widened. He had noticed- and instead of confronting it, and making her even sadder, he had given her silent support. She squeezed back.

When they arrived, he brought her to the kitchen. Hinata made sure Sasuke wasn't in the kitchen- she told him that it was a surprise. Eyeing the unreasonably large amount of tomatoes, she got to work.

When she was finished, she had to start looking for Sasuke. Thanking heavens for the small apartment, as she wouldn't get lost, she opened the door. All her efforts went to waste, however, when she saw Sasuke waiting for her by the door.

Wasting no time, they ate the unreasonably large amount of food Hinata made. Not one drop of the food- tomato soup- went to waste. (You can guess why... **snigger**)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

Days went by, and finally the day came- the day to pick the team mates. She had passed the tests- of course- she was the second best student in the academy. Mostly thanks to Sasuke, though. She was nervous- but more so excited. She had another thing to thank Sasuke for: her confidence. Without Sasuke, she highly doubted that she could talk without stuttering- except when she was talking to Naruto, of course. Naruto was her hero, because, he was stronger in spirit than she could ever be. She wasn't blind to the jeering villagers, of the taunting he received.

She sat down in the class, nervous despite herself. She hoped she was given nice team mates, and she hoped that Sasuke, or maybe Naruto would be on her team. Someone she felt she knew, someone who she knew she could be herself, sparing herself of the embarrassment. She noticed Sasuke a few seats away from her, getting into another fight with Naruto. Then something completely unexpected happened, something that baffled her. Naruto went up in front of Sasuke, glaring him in the eyes.

And then they kissed.

Hinata watched in morbid curiosity- unlike the horror of the girls around her- as they touched lips. This was her first time seeing two boys kiss, after all. Then she watched as they both pulled away from each other, equally mortified, trying to retch. The world works in strange, strange, ways, she concluded.

But it was finally time for Iruka-sensei to call out the teams. She listened to names that she knew of. "Team 7- Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto perked up, staring at Iruka-sensei. "Haruno Sakura" Naruto went up cheering, as Sakura looked down in self-pity. Hinata silently scoffed. If anyone needed self pity, it was Naruto. Not some slobbering lunatic of a girl. "And Uchiha Sasuke" she noticed the slight look of disappointment on his face. She wondered why.

"Team 8- Aburame Shino" Hinata looked at the guy in the same row as her, pushing his sunglasses, that kept his eyes hidden, towards his face. "Hyuuga Hinata" so she was with the guy with glasses, then? She didn't mind... he didn't seem like a mean bully, or anything of the sort. "and Inuzuka Kiba." she glanced at the boy next to her. He was looking excited, in a wild, free sort of way. There was a puppy on his head- something, which Hinata found, very, very cute. Of course, the dog, not the boy, she amended in her head.

Gazing off into the distance, Hinata was not listening to what happened around her. It wasn't interesting enough- she had already found out her team, and Sasuke's, and Naruto's. And, in a way, it was a good thing they weren't on her team. There would be less distractions, and she could focus on missions. Even if the missions would start off stupid and boring.

She tuned in again as Iruka-sensei said that they'd meet their Sensei's tomorrow, and dismissed the class. She ignored the fact that most of the students cleared off, heading for home, for warm parents ready to greet them and congratulate them on their achievements. The warmth they would feel when they did so. The warmth that Hinata's own home lacked.

Suddenly, she was aware that she was not the only one left in the classroom. She then focused, and staring directly at her, to her surprise, was Sasuke. There was a faint blush on his cheeks- clearly, he was embarrassed about something- and he mumbled something. "Pardon?" she asked, as always not failing to infer her prodigious Hyuuga teachings in life.

"Can you do me a favour?" he asked, not staring at Hinata, but a spot bellow her eyes. She hesitantly nodded. "Close your eyes." she did, then she felt something soft upon her lips. Her eyes snapped open, widening in shock, her blush not registering quite yet. When he moved his lips against her, she responded, in a gentle rhythm, until they broke off. Sasuke looked at the ground, suddenly nonchalant. "Now, you're my first kiss, not that stupid Dobe. Oh, and meet me for training tomorrow at 7" and then before she could fully comprehend what happened, he had disappeared in a rush.

Hinata didn't know whether to feel exasperated, or amused.

One things for sure, though, that she had gotten her first kiss. And not from the boy of her affections, but his rival, whether he would admit it or not. Even so, that didn't stop her face looking like the tomatoes Sasuke so clearly adored.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

She sat on the training grounds, a basket of food in tow. Hinata had learned that when training with Sasuke, it was best to bring food. Activating her Byakugan, she searched for him, and found him to be approximately 5 minutes away. Standing up, she started throwing kunai at the training posts, seeing if her aim had gone awry. As the kunai hit the centre of the target, she concluded that no, her aim was still as accurate as ever.

"Hinata" Sasuke called out to her, somewhere from behind her. " I want to teach you a jutsu. The fire jutsu." Hinata's eyebrows raised, because, she was very sure that her element wasn't fire. Why? She asked silently, knowing that Sasuke can read her better that she can read herself. "Because you need to know how to protect yourself. We are ninja now. We will be facing real enemies." she nodded. "Follow me."

Curiously, Hinata followed-with the food basket- and soon found them in front of a lake, somewhere in the Uchiha compound. She ignored the run down, abandoned buildings. It brought an unnamed pain in her chest at how Sasuke must be dealing with this. His whole family... gone. She shook her head- Sasuke didn't need pity. (although what she was feeling was actually sympathy...)

First, Sasuke taught her how do the signs. Boar, pig, tiger... she concentrated as she did that. Then he showed her an example, even though he'd shown her before, when sparring. Then he explained what it felt like, and let her practice, quietly supervising in the corner.

And she tried... and tried... and tried. Finally, after she had produced a small flame, Sasuke had decided to break it off. "It's your turn to teach me something" he said, and sat down to eat. She did as well, all the while mulling on what she could possibly teach Sasuke. She decided she would ask Kurenai-sensei to tell her what her element was, and teach her a jutsu to use it. A jutsu like Sasuke's maybe.

After she had finished eating, she said goodbye to Sasuke distractedly, telling him she'd come here the same time tomorrow, and that she would not teach him something until her fire jutsu was on par with his. In the end though, she had learned something more than the fire jutsu: Sasuke was a very, very good, but very, very strict, teacher.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

Hinata was in the clearing, walking towards Kurenai-sensei. Kiba was somewhere walking his dog- who she learned was called Akamaru- and Shino was somewhere else, training his bugs. Kurenai-sensei was supposed to be supervising their training, to get better acquainted with them, but Hinata really needed to learn her elemental type, so she could teach Sasuke a jutsu to prepare him for the real world. Like how he was doing to her.

"Can you tell me my chakra element, Kurenai sensei?" Kurenai seemed quite surprised at her question.

"Sure, Hinata-chan!" she answered, somewhat uneasily, Hinata dully noted. She fumbled with her pockets, searching for something, and she finally took out- a piece of paper. "Take this- pour some chakra into it, and depending on the results, you can tell what chakra type you are!" Hinata took the paper, and incredulously did as she was told. After a second, the paper turned soggy wet. She dropped it in astonishment. How could a mere blank piece of paper do that? "Ah, Hinata-chan. This isn't a regular piece of paper... it is a chakra indicator. And it shows that you are a water element. Those are usually the flowy, artistic type..." she trailed off, clearly at a loss at what to say.

"Can you teach me a water jutsu, Kurenai-sensei?" she used puppy dog eyes, something that could be viewed as subtle manipulation. Kurenai-sensei, though, again seemed uneasy, Hinata noted.

"Sure, Hinata-chan... I can teach you how to make water needles, but for that, you either already have to have water near you, or you have to summon water. Here, I'll teach you..."

Hinata learned faster than expected. By the end of the day, she could summon water, and by estimation, by the end of the week, she would be able to make the water needles. That delighted her, because she seemed to have an easier time with this, unlike the fire. Now she knew why it was so hard to summon fire- she was a natural water element, and water was the opposite of fire. If she knew both... she'd be much, much stronger.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

"Dammit!" echoed throughout the compound, scaring a few birds away. Hinata sighed in exasperation, but also amusement as she stared at a struggling Sasuke. She had mastered the fire techniques, which took her a good fortnight to do, and had started teaching Sasuke water techniques. He seemed very frustrated, for even after a night of training, he had yet to spew more than a cup of water. She let out a giggle.

"You can't be good at everything, Sasuke. It took me two weeks to be able to summon fire, and it'll take you a good month to be able to make water needles."

"Whatever." he grumbled, obviously not amused... at all. "I'm going on a C-rank mission tomorrow. Can you show me how to do the water needles again?" he asked a hint of desperation in his eyes. He was obviously not used to being bad at something, Hinata mused.

"Look" she sighed, and showed her technique. First by spewing out the water, then by making the water rise and solidify into needles. Then she aimed at all the trees around her. She cringed as she missed some, and accidentally hit an innocent squirrel. She had to work on her aim.

"You have to work on your aim" Sasuke noted, as if he had read her mind. She nodded in agreement.

"And you have to work on actually summoning water," she said, eyebrows raised. Sasuke didn't have the right to reprimand her, when she was better than him at this.

"Fine, fine" he said, mood sour again. "I'll learn in by the time I'm back from the C-rank mission. Which, by the way, they said would be two weeks. I'll learn something more to teach you, if you learn something more to teach me." Hinata nodded. She would have to ask Kurenai sensei again.

"Let's eat." she suggested, and they sat and ate. After finishing, she stood up, saying good bye to Sasuke, when he stood up as well.

Then he pulled her towards him, and kissed her. This time, it went farther than the last time, and for a longer period of time. He had lightly bit her lips. And when she had opened them, his tongue went inside her cavern. Fighting, their tongues moved in unison, until they had to break for air. Hinata stared at him, a question mark practically written on her forehead. "I won't see you again in two weeks. A good bye present."

Right about when Hinata was going to ask, for who, Sasuke had disappeared, but not before she had seen the faint blush on his cheeks. Hinata dropped the subject. Sasuke was- to her astonishment- quite shy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

Hinata, in Sasuke's absence, had asked Kurenai-sensei to teach her genjustsu. That was what she was best at, after all. She needed to get stronger- and she'd heard that Sasuke's famiy where genjutsu masters. If she knew genjutsu already, she could help Sasuke master his own blood line limit.

Kurenai-sensei seemed- yet again- uneasy when Hinata pleaded her to teach her the jutsu. She wondered why- and had a vague suspicion it had something to do with her father. Something about her needing to be a "proper" Hyuuga, and use only Hyuuga techniques, and not those commoner ones. At least, that was what Hinata imagined the reason to be. Her father was an prideful bastard, that was for sure.

"Yes, I'll teach you, Hinata-chan... may I ask why?" it was coming to Hinata's attention that she was getting better and better at reading people. Kurenai's iris went to the corner of her eyes, and their was a slight tremor in her body. That indicated that she was nervous, and slightly weary.

Which made Hinata weary herself.

"I want to get stronger, Kurenai-sensei, I want to be a pride to the Hyuuga name", Hinata said, carefully picking out her words. There, if Kurenai was interrogated, as Hinata suspected she might, Hinata would not get into trouble- and neither would Kurenai. Kurenai's crimson red eyes studied her blank face carefully, looking for a hint of lie. Seemingly finding none, she nodded.

"Well... it starts like this..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

A few days later, around a week before Sasuke was scheduled to come back, Team Kurenai where given their very first C -rank mission. Hinata observed as Kiba went 'wild', looking at the third Hokage in unmeasurable excitement. "Thank you very much, Third- we won't disappoint you, and next time, please make it a B-rank, thanks!" Hinata imagined that if he had a tail, he would be wagging with unmeasured joy.

Shino, however, stayed as quite and watchful as ever. Hinata personally preferred Shino over Kiba, however amusing Kiba might be, especially on a mission- Shino was very level headed and logical, while Kiba arrogantly jumped in whatever he was doing, and ultimately screwed things up. Even though Kiba reminded her of Naruto, he was different, in a way she couldn't describe. Something to do with the aura, and Naruto's wisdom.

Kurenai stood to the side, nodding her head to what the Hokage was saying. "It's a scroll carrying mission- you will go get a scroll from the Country of Water, and retrieve a few scrolls..." he carried on in his gruff, wise voice- but Hinata chose to stare out at the light rain outside. The weather was strange for Konoha- which is usually sunny, especially at this time of year. Hinata felt a chill of foreboding conquer her spine- she had a bad feeling that something strange was going to happen on this mission, and the rain was no help.

The next morning, Hinata woke early, shivering from a nightmare. It was a strange nightmare- all she remembered was a black star with a dot in the middle, on top of a crimson surface. Blaming the nightmare on excitement for her first C-rank mission, she shook away the residing weariness, she opened the window, and dressed for the upcoming C-rank mission.

She met up with Team 8 at the North Gates at approximately 9 pm, and they started their journey to the Country of Water.

To her surprise, there was no feeling of elation, or excitement, as they walked towards their destination. It wasn't as glamorous as she had made it out to be when she was younger; quite the opposite, really, she ended up feeling tired and sweaty after a few hours.

Fighting of the exhaustion, she instead looked at the changing landscape around her. There was no more forest around her; in its stead, there were large marshes and rivers- bodies of water- all around. Hinata found herself relaxing, for she was in her element- water. Water was a flowing, flexible thing- it was deadly, but yet it also birthed life to the world. Hinata was proud of her element.

"We stop here" Kurenai announced, gesturing to the sinking sun behind her. "we have gone far enough, today. Let us set camp." immediately after she stated that, Kiba took it upon himself to hunt for food- while commenting snidely how he wouldn't want to eat something buggified- Kurenai set up camp, Shino to look for water, and she, was stuck with cooking.

Hinata was fine with the arrangement. Cooking was one of the few things she enjoyed, and did in her spare time. So she sat there, in wait, for the food to come back. They ended up eating fish, with some berries that Shino had managed to find.

They went to bed- Kurenai saying that there was no need for anyone to watch, for she had set up chakra traps that trapped anyone except them four, and so they slept. Or Hinata tried to, anyway, because she was assaulted with an even more vivid nightmare than the one before. This time, she managed to figure out what the crimson blob with the star was- an eye. And with that eye, she heard a voice, "Welcome to insanity." it was not the voice that scared her. The voice itself was not scary- detached, cold, and calm, but she had dealt with enough of such voices in her life to not be terrified. No, it was the words that scared her- would she be _insane _in the future? If so, why?

With too many questions swirling in her mind, she decided to go outside, and train. It'd help clear her mind, anyway. It was a good thing that Kurenai preferred such traps over taking watch. She strode off, deciding to work on her water walk technique- that was her element, after all, and arrived to a lake. She made a move to take off her clothes, but a voice, that same cool, detached voice from her nightmares, said, "I would not do that, if I were you."

Turning around swiftly, she was faced with the voice of her nightmares. He wasn't ugly, much to her disappointment, but instead, devilishly good looking. With black hair in a pony, and dark eyes, and tear troughs, she was reminded of Sasuke- but that was impossible, Sasuke was the sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre, so _who _was he? "W-who are y-you?" she asked, cursing the stutter that was coming back at full force. She could not forget her terror of the black star.

"You may call me Itachi" he did not seem threatening, or anything of the sort, so Hinata relaxed a tiny bit. He was stoic- and clad in a long robe with red clouds that Hinata found odd, but ignored. He didn't talk a lot- but Hinata was fine with that. When it became obvious that Hinata was going to refrain from commenting further, he inquired, "And you?" in that somehow polite, yet cutting, voice of his.

"H-h-hinata H-hyuuga" she murmured quietly, dismissing the chance of secretion. There was no point. He, after all, had told him his name, so it was only proper etiquette for here to state hers.

"Hyuuga? So, you have Byakugan?", she nodded hesitantly, not sure whether to disclose this fact to the man or not. He was lost in thought for a moment. Then, suddenly, he said, "in the Hokage tower, in the private library, there is a black scroll, called the Uchiha Massacre. Read it. When you wish to get stronger, contact me." then he took a necklace, and threw it at her. She caught it. " You may contact me by embedding your chakra into this necklace. Then, it will inform us of our locations. Tell no one of this encounter" and he dissolved into ravens, leaving a bewildered Hinata in his wake. (yes, I know, this is super strange, but one of the next chapters, it will explain Itachi's actions.)

Thinking herself a lunatic for having such strange hallucinations, she went to bed, ignoring the fact that she was still clutching the necklace.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

The next morning, Hinata found herself staring at the necklace in her hand. So it wasn't a hallucination, after all, she concluded. She really did meet this strange red-cloud-cloaked man called Itachi, and he really did tell her about a scroll in the sacred Hokage library. She stared harder into the red diamond, cursing her curiosity. As they say, curiosity killed the cat, she chanted in her mind, trying to convince herself not to go into the Hokage tower and look at the scroll Itachi was talking about.

But satisfaction brought it back (the cat, it means...). Sometimes, Hinata really hated her brain with its smart-allelic comments. She'd just have a peek to see if what Itachi-san said was true... a peek wouldn't hurt anyone... yes, she consoled herself. A peek wouldn't hurt anyone. Who cares if it was the Hokage's private library.

And, so, Hinata continued with her mission, resolve in mind, a white gold chain with a red diamond the only evidence of the encounter the previous night, swinging, with a new spring in her step. Kiba sceptically informed her of her new cheery mood. Even Kurenai looked at her strangely.

Really, Hinata could care less.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

At the end of their escapade across the Country of Water, and the Country of Fire, which involved many stunts, exasperated exclamations of, "Kiba-kun", angry glints caused from bug repellent, and a strange meeting in the middle of the night, they had finally found the right woman, and the right scrolls.

In some weird, unexplainable, strange set of circumstances, Team 8 had ended up deciding to stay a few more days in the Country of Water, in the hospitable home of their host: a woman with unreasonably good water jutsus.

Hinata, no longer being a stammering, blubbering wreck she once was, begged the woman to train her; she, after all, was on a mission to strength. She had ignored her team mates' stares of disbelief. The woman, being as kindly as she was, agreed. Especially when she mentioned that she had an affinity towards water.

That was Hinata's formal start in mastering the arts of water jutsu, and by the end of their stay, she had learned three whole extra water jutsus, that included: Water Shield jutsu, Mist Concealment jutsu, and Water Clone jutsus. The first one was the only one that was particularly hard. She now had a few techniques that she could teach Sasuke. She was glad.

After over indulging their stay, they said their farewells, and took off back to their own land, scrolls in hand.

Hinata impatiently waited to return home. She, after all, had a mission, possibly more important than this one, that awaited her return.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

Hinata's heart beat furiously. Was she seriously doing this? Seriously sneaking around the Hokage's tower, in search of a scroll?

The answer to that question: yes, yes she was.

She couldn't help it! Itachi's instructions had interested her to the point of no return. She couldn't just ignore his advice, not with the red diamond- _his _red diamond- that was lodged in between her breasts. She had used Byakugan to inspect the area: and when she was sure that no one with a very potent chakra signature was around, that the Hokage and the advisers were gone, and that no one was around at any time. Thankful for the ability to look through walls- she had quickly located the 'hidden' library, and searched for the scroll, finding it on one of the lower shelves in the area. She was building up a mild headache, as she rarely used the Byakugan with such concentration.

Trying to look as normal as possible, she managed to slip in the hidden door, that was the entrance to the private, _forbidden, _library.

Manoeuvring around the library was easy for one with Byakugan- they had a radar in their eyes. The rich, plush carpet was an oasis for Hinata's feet- the high ceiling that brought out the grandeur of the room let light for Hinata's eyes. It was a paradise for all those who praised books, like Hinata.

She was astounded by the room; so astounded, in fact, that she deactivated her Byakugan and bumped right into an unsuspecting Chunin, an arrogant looking young man. She inwardly panicked, careful not to show her insecurity, but using her usually meek and helpless and pushover personality for cover. "And what are you doing here, Genin?" he asked his blond hair falling in tufts over his forehead.

"I was s-sent on an errand for one of the Hokage's advisers." she said, using her large, innocent eyes to look as convincing as possible.

"Well, watch were you are going, Genin", he said, and inwardly sighed. She thanked the lords for blessing her with this arrogant ass Chunin in front of her. And for once, she was thankful for her meek looking appearance, as it saved her in situations such as these.

With that, the same blond haired Chunin left, heading for the exit. She activated her Byakugan, and when he was far enough away, she headed towards the scroll, not letting herself be distracted any more. If she did, who knows what might happen.

When she finally found the black scroll, she took it out, slightly surprised by its modest size. It was thin, and there, in red letters that stood against the black, it said, the Uchiha Massacre.

She opened it, and was horrified at what she found there.

**By Order of the Hokage, Uchiha Itachi (oldest, heir to the Uchiha clan) is ordered the Massacre of the Uchiha clan.**

**The Uchiha clan have been planning a coup d'etat, and this has been seen as a traitorous act towards the village, as it has been seen that it might escalate to war. Uchiha Itachi will then leave the village, being classified as a missing nin. **

**Uchiha Itachi (Weasel) in retaliation, has secured the safety of Uchiha Sasuke, his younger brother. **

**Danzou is not allowed to put Uchiha Sasuke in ANBU, ROOT, and is unable to take the eyes of Uchiha Sasuke.**

**All are sworn to secrecy.**

_**Signed By: Hokage, Danzou, Advisors of Hokage**_

_**Mission Status:Complete.**_

She searched signs of this scroll being wrong, the information being wrong. Of feigned signatures, anything. She found nothing; this was as real as the diamond between her bosom. More importantly, what was thins scroll doing here? Itachi must have placed it here, she realised. She closed the scroll in a snap, shaking as her brain absorbed the information. The information that crashed her reality. The Hokage, the one that was supposed to protect Konoha, ordered to have one of the clans abolished. She shuddered. Uchiha Itachi- was ordered to kill his father, mother, his _clan, _all in the sake of peace. And he was able to do so- he was able to kill all, except for his little brother. He was unable to kill Sasuke; he was innocent, and didn't know of the coup d'etat, didn't know of clan's sins...

But that did not matter. It was _wrong _to kill a clan, just for something that the elders of the clan probably decided. It was _wrong_ to subject someone to kill his own family, for the presumed sake of peace. Peace was an impossibility- if there was peace, there always would be conflict. Balance.

Then she realised: that man in the forest had been Uchiha Itachi, but for what purpose had he told her this? For what had he revealed his deepest, darkest secret for? That the supposed 'treachery' in his life was ordered by the Hokage?

But, more importantly, who could she tell? If she told Sasuke this, she was sure that he'd flee the village, in search for revenge. Hell, she would, even if she hated her family the way she did. Yet she couldn't do that, she couldn't make him go through this pain... She didn't have anybody else to tell- she _couldn't_ tell anyone...

She exited the Hokage tower without a hitch, even through the daze she was in. Her innocence was surely shattered, he body going on auto pilot. Everything she had believed in, was shattered. Truly shattered.

That night, the nightmares began. She was somehow certain that they'd go on for the rest of her life... not letting her rest...

She felt her sanity slipping away. And no matter who, or what she thought about, her sanity wasn't coming back... "Welcome to insanity", the voice echoed in her thoughts, Itachi Uchiha's cold, detached voice filling her mind, as her face became a cold, stoic mask.

**AAAAH! That was possibly the longest chapter I've ever done! So, how was it? Is that prologue making a bit more sense? Well, it shouldn't, not yet, at least.**

**So, did I capture the characters right?**

**And thank you, reviewer:**

**Xenol**

**Sincerely, Aurora-chan!**


End file.
